Yale Gives Honorary Degree to Canadian Anti-Israel ‘Activist’ Who Left Catholicism for Islam
Ingrid Mattson backed ‘sanctions on Israeli leaders,’ embargo against Jewish state, investigations of Jewish summer camps
Ira Stoll
May 19, 2026
Yale University on Monday bestowed an honorary degree on a Canadian anti-Israel activist, Ingrid Mattson, who in June 2025 signed a letter to the Canadian prime minister falsely accusing Israel of "genocide" in Gaza and calling on Canada to impose extensive sanctions on Israel. In 2024 she also signed another letter saying Canada should arrest leaders of the Israeli government "should any suspects arrive on Canadian territory."
The 2025 letter also calls for investigations into Canadian nonprofits, part of a demonization and harassment campaign against Jewish summer camps that employ Israeli counselors. It calls for an arms embargo against Israel at a moment when Israel was facing threats from Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Houthi terrorists dedicated to its destruction. It calls for an end to a Canada-Israel trade agreement and for unspecified sanctions against Israeli politicians.
In honoring Mattson, who converted to Islam from Catholicism, Yale’s president, Maurie McInnis, described her as a "bridge builder, and champion of peace." McInnis praised her "integrity" and "wisdom." McInnis addressed Mattson directly, according to the Yale website, saying, "Compassionate and powerful force for good in a troubled world, Yale wishes you a thousand blessings as it honors you with the degree of Doctor of Divinity."
The biography of Mattson on the Yale website describes her as a "distinguished Canadian scholar, activist, and former president of the Islamic Society of North America."
https://freebeacon.com/campus/yale-gives-honorary-degree-to-canadian-anti-israel-activist-who-left-catholicism-for-islam/
